In this Feb. 3, 2011, file photo Egypt's recently appointed Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq speaks to the media at the Ministry of the Interior in Cairo, Egypt. (AP Photo/Victoria Hazou, File)

(Newser)
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Egypt’s military has “decided to accept the resignation of Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq,” the Supreme Council of Armed Forces announced in a Facebook post today. A spokesman then confirmed the move for Al Jazeera. Shafiq, who was hand-picked by Hosni Mubarak just before his ouster, will be replaced by former transport minister Essam Sharaf, a favorite of the opposition.

Sharaf resigned his original government post in protest in 2005, saying the government lacked the vision and resources to improve its rail lines. He has spent the intervening years in academia. That he stepped down in opposition to Mubarak earns him points from protesters. An Al Jazeera correspondent says that last night, at a meeting of opposition groups, people “had very positive things to say about him. Essam Sharaf was in fact their man, their candidate if you like.”